SOCIAL HYGIENE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 234, 15 September 1922, Page 6

SOCIAL HYGIENE.

EVIDENCE BEFORE COMMITTEE. SPREAD OF THE DISEASE. COMPULSORY' NOTIFICATION URGED. Wellington, Sept. 14. Mrs McHugh, health patrol social hygiene lecturer, Department of Health, giving evidence before the venereal dis eaces committee, said she had been closely associated for many years with those who made a study of social welfare. Their earnest concern for the lust eight or years had been work at the very centre of the problem, both here and abroad. Everywhere they looked venereal disease had faced them in all its grim horror and apparent hopelessness, it was awful to contemplate, said Mrs McHugh, that of the few people who did present themselves voluntarily for treatment about 70 per cent failed to continue the treatment until they wore cured; thus wilfully and knowingly remaining a menace to the community. Who could tell who might be the victims of those 70 per cent? It was just the power to restrain these cases that seemed to witness to be needed, nothing more. That of course could only be done by compulsory notification and treatment. Notification should be by number only, known only to the doctor and the patients themselves. Airs McHugh mentioned cases of persons who spread the disease, and maintained that such instances were a strong argument in favour of compulsory notification and treatment. Continuing, witness said that in advocating enw pulsory measures they had only to look around and notice how many countries had adopted them which continued to report favourably on the working of the system —Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Africa, most of the provinces of Canada; 42 out of 48 States of the United States of America, Denmark and Sweden. These countries, she said, tried voluntary measures at fjrst, but found that moral suasion alone was not sufficient. Witness suggested that it might be a good policy to appoint women doctors nt least to the principal clinics. A great aid to the efficiency of clinics would be the establishment of branches of the Social Hygiene Society on the same lines as that at Christchurch, which had done, in witness’ opinion, and was doing, such excellent work in connection with the control of venereal disease and social welfare generally. DRASTIC ACTION NECESSARY. Mr A. W. Wright, CommibSioner of Police, made suggestions which in his opinion should be adopted for the better r.nd more effective carrying out of the Social Hygiene Act' for the control and treatment of persons suffering from venereal disease. Witness quoted figures from which ho argued that public prostitution had decreased in New Zealand. On the other hand there was good reason to believe that clandestine prostitution had increased, but to what extent it would be hard to say. He was satisfied there had been an increase. In reply to a question, witness said that unless some drastic provisions were made, the authorities could not effectively deal with the trouble. Dr. Frengley: You are of opinion that compulsory examination under certain safeguards is necessary? Witness; Absolutely; unless there is pqwer for magistrates to de?l with the matter and commit a person to prison, you could not enforce examination. That is the trouble I can forsee. In reply to further questions, witness said that under the law at present the police were powerless to act in cases of persons suffering from venereal disease. For instance, the police might know that a certain woman had the disease and was spreading it. but in such a case the hands of the police would be tied. They could only act if such woman was liable to arrest for a breach of the law, say the Vagrancy Act. THE FUNCTION OF PARENTS. The Rev T. Fielder Taylor expressed the opinion that parents are the only people who inculcate in their own boys and girls a sense of honour on sex questions; that home discipline had broken down; and that without it there can be no really efficacious remedy. Sex questions were the subjects of lewd stories amongst boys and men. These stories were heard by children at a very early age, and the child ’s mind was tainted. Parents must choose companions for iheir children instead of the present loose method of boys ’ friends being quite unknown to the parents.